WEBVTT - Josh Morris | Part 2 | Pranks, Grand Finals & Des Hasler 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.200 What about because I was telling I was telling Dad 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:03.720 one of my favorite pranks you. I think I brought 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:05.160 this up to you on the Continues Call team the 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:07.080 other day when you when you just did the Footy 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:09.000 Show and you did the old prank. It was like 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:10.920 in a It was almost like at a surf club 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:13.119 public toilet and you run it. You said, I beat you. 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:15.040 I can watch this, and you like run into a 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:17.600 toilet and one second later Brett was at the other end. 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:19.599 He ran out that side. You just do a lot of it, 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:21.080 because you did a fair bit of that prank stuff 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:21.720 on the Footy Show. 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.599 Yeah. No, well that was probably one of the only 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:29.360 times we did it. But that bloke, he was absolutely rattled. 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:31.200 Like I said, oh, do you want to see a 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:33.360 magic chick. I'll go in this door and come out 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:35.400 that door. So I was sprinting down there, but I 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:37.800 had to make sure I made the slap against the 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.320 wall loud enough so Brett could hear it. Ah, So 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:43.080 I've ran like it's as hard as I could and 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:45.120 slap the wall and then he's come out the other 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:50.480 side of the bloke was just like like looking around 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:52.440 and going oh no. And then we got this other 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:55.120 bloke in the Crinallum Hall as well as he would 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:58.080 have been about sixty five or seventy. I've walked up 0:00:58.120 --> 0:01:00.920 to him and asked for directions to the trains. He's gone, 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:02.800 it's just down that way, mate. I said, oh, yeah, 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:05.600 no where thanks, walked off and then he's walked twenty 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:07.920 meters and then Brett's popped out in front of hey mate. 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:11.560 You know, he was just as rattled to it, and 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:14.840 then like I've kind of popped out because otherwise he 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:15.600 would have been like. 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:17.680 I'm losing more thought he's in the matrix. 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:22.080 So no, there weren't too many pranks we played on 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:24.720 each other, Like I thought about doing it going back 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:26.560 to the Dragons and playing the prank here and there. 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:28.800 But a lot of a lot of those boys we 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:30.800 grew up with as well, so they knew us as well. 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:34.320 And then yeah, it's like when whenever Brett got a 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:36.560 buy or something like that, he'd come up and stay 0:01:36.600 --> 0:01:38.279 at my house and we'd go out with the boys. 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:40.080 So a lot like a lot of the boys knew 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:42.600 each of us from the different clubs. 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:44.920 Okay, so what you see a lot of time is 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:49.640 the older brother generally young looks after the younger brother sometimes. 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:52.440 You know, it's proven that the younger brother's more lazy, fair, 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:54.960 and more reactive. The older brother always thinks, are worries 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:57.360 more about the future. And I see that with Joey 0:01:57.400 --> 0:01:59.440 and I, and I see it with Jack and Cooper. 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:01.760 Who was born? For who was first? You were born? 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:02.000 Yes? 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:03.440 Is that trait? Do you think? 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:04.240 No? 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:05.200 It doesn't. 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:09.240 No, I reckon he especially on those kangaroo tours, because 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:13.000 I was an emu for all three of them, and 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:15.520 he was my roommate for all three of them, so 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:18.720 he used to like I used to go out and 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.440 come home and be he'd be playing on the Saturday. 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:23.640 I get over at like three am, and he reckons that. 0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:26.600 One one night I came home and I must have 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:28.880 tripped over his bag because he used to sleep closest 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:31.440 to the door. So I've just started kicking the ship 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:34.680 and poking him up. He's gone fucking go to bed, 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.480 he reckons as fast as he's ever seen anyone. I've 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:40.240 just gone, yes, sir, put me hands to me side 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:42.799 like that, and fell forward onto my bed, and he 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:45.760 reckons before I hit the mattress, I was snoring, so 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.480 he had had to put my legs over and tuck 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:52.200 me in. But now I was I was probably the 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.040 one who wasn't as sensible. Like I said, he kind 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.400 of let me, let me go out and make an 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:00.000 edio to myself and then then rain me. 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:02.840 The positive thing of that, right, because you are two 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:06.519 different personalities, but you are also identical twins. So if 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:08.680 somebody messed up on a night out, maybe you know, 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:12.960 smashed a beer over someone or did something like, you know, 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:15.800 it probably wouldn't come out in the media because they 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:18.160 didn't they couldn't define whether it was Josh or Breath. 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:22.400 Ended up in a defamation case. There is one time 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:27.200 I did go out and we'd played on the Friday. Yeah, 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:28.720 we played on the Friday. So I was out at 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:31.800 the Vinyl rooming Guymere. It was a Saturday night and 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.880 made I was. I had about ten vodka lemonades in 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:37.640 front of me, and these blokes come up to me 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:39.720 and they're like, can't you bread? So I'm like, yeah, 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.640 don't you play the Dragons tomorrow? I know sharks. He 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:44.440 was playing for the Dragons. I said, yeah, we're playing 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.960 the Sharks. Don't worry about that. I'll score two tries. Tomorrow, 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:49.000 no dramas, and they're like, oh, can we get a fight. 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:53.680 I'm like, yeah, played the next day and got a double. 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:57.920 Oh wow, they have been going This boke was out 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:00.840 all night, comes out and scores a double. Jeez, he's 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:01.480 a good player. 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:04.600 That's the Sammi Verrel story as well. Sammy Verrel's has 0:04:04.600 --> 0:04:07.440 got twinnal twin Oliver. And at the Grand Final they 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:09.520 played against I think it was the Raiders, Sammy Bell's 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:12.920 starting hooker, and his brother Oliver is sitting there and 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:15.000 having a beer in the crowd and they go, aren't 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:17.520 you Sammy Vels. He goes yeah, yeah, and he aren't 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:19.920 you playing in like an hour and a half he goes, yeah, Robbo, 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:21.440 lets me come out and have a couple of beers 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:23.920 with my family before the game, helps me calm my nerves. 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:26.960 And then they were oh right, And apparently the boys 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:28.919 gone back to everyone and go I just saw Sammy 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:31.560 Vel's in there smashing schooners at the public bar, like 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:34.359 at the front of the stadium, and then five minutes 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:36.039 in or six minutes in he scores on fifteen. 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:38.840 Yeah. I guess that's one of the advantages of being 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:41.040 in a twin as well, like, yeah, I don't think 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:42.840 the journals were too keen to print, and I think. 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.839 Your career is unbelievable, josh a Mountain football. You played, 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:51.080 but you played some interesting clubs. First of all, so 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:53.240 you finish at the Roosters. You've got the and they 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.080 got the Sharks, two great clubs. First two clubs you're 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:59.920 played for are really like massive club not the others 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:02.039 who art. But what I mean is massive clubs is 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:05.880 the amount of passion with this, you know, and in 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:09.599 good times things are unbelievable. In bad times things are awful. 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.920 So you started at Dragons, then you go to the Bulldogs, Like, 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:15.080 can you give us an idea of that playing for 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:16.880 those really big passionate fans. 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:20.520 Yeah, I think, yeah, you're right. They are similar fan 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:24.880 bases in the fact that they expect success and when 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.240 they don't get it, they are very, very vocal about it. 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:32.559 I still remember I'm playing for the Dragons and number 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:34.839 of times the fans get given it to us when 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:38.520 we're behind the goal line, and then when you're winning, 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:42.320 like they're so proud of and the pats on the 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:46.080 back come. But it's similar to the Dogs as well. 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:49.320 But Yeah, the Dogs had a lot of a lot 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:53.640 of tough times for a while there, and then I 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.039 came along. You know, nine, they just they just won 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.760 the wooden spoon and they brought about six or seven 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:02.960 of it across. There was myself, Mick, Ennis, Ben Hannah, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.599 and Michael Hodgson was there, David Stag, Greg Eastwood, a 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.560 lot of family blokes. I was probably, and Brett Marley 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:11.240 was there too, sorry. So there were a lot of 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:13.880 family blokes there. They were trying to get the family 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.520 club vibe going. And then I was probably the youngest. 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:19.479 But Kevin Moore had just taken over from Folksy as coach. 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.440 He was the one that got me there. He wanted 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:24.240 me to play center, and he goes, I'm not I'm 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.159 going to give you fifty games at center. I'm not 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:29.279 going to drop you. I think you're a center. He 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.719 said that, and that kind of gave me confidence in 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:35.480 myself as well. But we played this really different style 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.679 of football. It was a very attacking style of football. Yeah, 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:40.600 a lot of a lot of drop lines, a lot 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:43.120 of movement, a lot of second phase and off the 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:45.040 back of it. Off the back of that, like I 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.919 had Ben Roberts as my healf. He probably had a 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:49.599 career best year that year, and I was on the 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:52.080 outside of him. I think I scored about twenty two 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:53.760 or twenty three tries that year, and. 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:56.119 It was, yeah, we are interesting style. 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.640 That was probably the most enjoyable year of football I 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:02.120 ever had. And then off the back of that, we 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:05.680 had a couple of years where we probably didn't succeed 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:09.520 and underachieved, and then that's when Dez came in, and 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:12.880 then from that moment on we went from being, you know, 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:16.560 a professional club to the ultra professional. You know what 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:19.440 does is like with all these gps, his data and 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:22.560 that and just his training the training loads went up, 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.240 and off the back of that, we're able to make 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:27.200 two Grand finals in three years. 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:34.080 Really quick. Yeah, two Grand finals twenty twelve. Have you 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:38.280 ever been part of a player that had such an 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:42.320 unbelievable season just so consistently did freaky things like ben 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:43.080 Barba that year? 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:47.880 No, Like yeah, like that was just crazy, the amount 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:51.040 of tries that we scored out of the back end 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.440 of our half or on play one because of his 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:58.559 kick returns, and not only that, like his ball playing 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:01.520 ability that year was great, but he saved so many 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:03.960 tries that year on our goal line as well, like 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.480 there were I think there was one against we played 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:08.560 the Warriors, and I don't know how he managed to 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:10.400 save it. I think it was a big front trying 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:12.280 to crash over, but he was over the back of 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:14.760 him and got flipped over and just managed to get 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:17.720 his hand underneath it. And we won that game off 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.920 the back of his defense. Like he was just phenomenal talent. 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.880 And that year I don't think anyone saw that coming, 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:26.920 but me and him struck up a partnership that year 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:29.680 as well. I reckon I scored probably fifteen tries off 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:30.280 him that year. 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:31.880 You scored that one was. 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:35.320 In that year as well. 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:37.840 He was He started that said in the Cooper put 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:39.760 a kick in the right corner in the nearly on 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:42.360 the dead ball line, and then he beat about seven 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:44.760 blokes and a lot of those blokes were like blokes 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:47.840 that don't miss, you know, Cameron Smith and then. 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:50.720 Madam Smith took his head off and he didn't get simmoned. 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:55.199 And then he put and then he put the chipki oginde. 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:57.439 We went into Origin camp. But that's a high tackle. 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:57.960 He's got to go. 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:01.240 But was he what was he like a training like, 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:03.840 was he a freak doing freaky things a train or 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.280 even his preseason leading into that year, did you know 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:07.240 something special was coming? 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:12.080 Nah? No, like he to start with, his fitness levels 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:15.439 probably weren't there. But like under Daz, like Dere's got 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:18.680 every unfit and off the back of that he was 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.679 able to do some amazing things. And like a lot 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:26.280 of the blokes there, like like Sam Casciano, Greg Eastwood, 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:29.720 Frankie Richard, like some of those blokes, they were probably 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.280 the fittest they'd ever been. And like the footy they 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:35.800 played that year was freaky amazing as well. So that 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.440 was that was another enjoyable year. But on the on 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:41.720 the big day, we just got out coached. They had 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:46.240 two trick plays. They both came off and there was 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:49.760 there was a moment as well for myself. Benny made 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:52.480 a half break. There was about fifteen minutes ago and 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:55.160 it was similar to the Mackay. He went to the outside, 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:57.440 I came back on the inside. He's kicked it. I 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.120 didn't get the bounce, so I've kicked it again and 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.160 as it's about to get in front of me, I'm 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.240 about to catch this ball ten meters out and run 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:07.240 under the post score with about fifteen to gay the ball. 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.360 And in my fifteen years of first grade, the ball 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.920 never bounce for me like that. It bounced up and 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:15.240 up over my head. I've tried to get the ball, 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:17.440 I've touched it and then Billy's knocked it dead. So 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:19.800 I knocked it on and then that was it after that. 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:23.760 It's funny. I remember when I came, when I went 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:26.040 into Melbourne that the first year they made the Grand 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:29.319 Final against the Roosters, and leading into that week, Billy 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:32.160 Slated did a big talk on trick. He was like, 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:36.120 well planned trick plays win big games, and he showed 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.320 those two the two tries for that. The first one 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:40.720 was it was I think the first one was where 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.920 they set up a play because the right half, I 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:44.560 don't remember who the right half was for you guys 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:47.360 that day, Josh Reynolds, Josh Reynolds. They'd seen a tendency 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:49.520 in his game that whenever you'd put a back roller 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:52.440 on his on his outside shoulder, he would just he'd 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:54.760 leave the inside play and have only eyes for him 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:56.240 and he'd slide out. So they come up with that 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:58.160 play where he can play. They Yeah, they'd pumped to 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.400 the back rower and Slater would come between the half 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:02.720 and the back roll which they Slatsy scored on. And 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:05.000 then there was a tricky kick play that they think 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:06.240 Matt Duffy maybe might have been. 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:12.040 I think it was Julian O'Neill, Julian Justin and it was. 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:13.720 So it was so interesting when he broke it down, 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:16.240 it was like, mate, you know that you only get 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:19.040 a certain amount of, you know, opportunities in big games 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:20.600 to play, so you need to pre plan. 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:23.280 I love that from Billy because people get there and 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:25.439 you go, oh, you don't need you don't need tricks 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.080 to win Grand finals? Yeah, yeah, you do sometimes. Twenty fourteen, 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:32.760 you know it was another Grand Final, twenty four Doeen 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:36.640 against South Yeah, twenty fourteen. So one of the things 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:38.720 I love it when I used to play with some 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.760 play players to get them how they get themselves up 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:46.199 emotionally and it lifts everybody else. James Graham in that game, 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.839 like where he grabs Billy and does the Vlad the 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:53.080 Impaler like just takes it bites. What was he like 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.240 in the sheds Fully game? How high did he used 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:56.600 to get? 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:03.200 He'd have the smelling Sultan. Then just eyes would be 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:05.160 rolling in the back of his head and he'd say, boys, 0:12:05.200 --> 0:12:07.240 I'm going to go out there and try and commit murder. 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.560 Who's coming with me? I'm gonna I'm gonna leave nothing out. 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.760 And you know there's players like I imagine Adrian Morley 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:16.040 was just as crazy. It must just be an Englishman. 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:21.319 But yeah, like he led by his actions, Jim, and 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:24.679 you know, whenever there was always a chase back, he'd 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.200 always been the frame as well. Like it's he just 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:31.280 never gave up and he was willing to put his 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:34.040 head in places where most people were. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:36.920 Man had he already won a Grand Final in the Super. 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:39.960 He'd won one early on, I think, and then he 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:43.560 lost about six or seven in a row and he 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:45.160 finished his career winning one. 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.719 So because even that twenty fourteen Grand Final, you talk 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.240 about the start where he breaks Sam Bird's cheek. 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:53.160 Punts didn't hit him enough, he said, he said that 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:56.360 initially the plan was going to be kick away from Sam. 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:59.120 Apparently he said to no, no, I want to get 0:12:59.120 --> 0:12:59.800 some action on. 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:03.600 And made he got Dave Tyrrel that day as well, 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:07.160 like he was on one. But there was a difference 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.360 between twelve and fourteen as well, like in terms of 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:13.559 our season, like we were minor premiers and twelve. In 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:18.040 fourteen thirteen we underachieved and Des was absolutely filthy at us. 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:20.800 So fourteen we had a really tough preseason, but we 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:25.439 had a fair few injuries throughout the year and it 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:29.280 was like we were sitting like six seventh for most 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:31.520 part of the year and Des he was like, don't 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:34.560 worry about where we're sitting on the ladder, just make 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:36.520 the eight. He goes, We'll be fine, We'll get to 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.920 the Grand Final, no worries, because he just believed in 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.160 outside that much. And then we finished seventh. The first 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.319 week we went down to Melbourne and played Melbourne down 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:49.560 there and flogged them, gave it to and then the 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:52.800 next week we played mainly we beat them in Golden Point. 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:55.720 I think it was Trent Hodginson kicked a field goal. 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.720 Then we played Penrith in the prelim final. We beat 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.000 them by only I think four points maybe, but we 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:03.640 lost Mick Andnis in that game and that was that 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:05.640 was huge for us, losing Mick because he was our 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.960 captain and you know how great a talking Mick is, 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:11.920 the way he can get a side up just just 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:14.520 by talking, like we lost a bit of that during 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:16.880 the week and him, you know, reving the boys up 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.600 in the sheds before the game, and we also had 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:24.240 a couple of blokes busted. We were competitive for sixty minutes, 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.760 but we'd played those four games by that stage that 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:29.920 had just taken it out of us, and they just 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:31.960 ran away with it and ended up flogging us in 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:32.240 the end. 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:34.960 Funny when you watch the game in hindsight, watching the 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:39.080 game live, you go and you look back now in 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:41.480 time and you go look at the schooline youes house 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:44.360 pretty comfortable win. But when you watch the game again, 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:48.960 I mean with twelve minutes ago, the game is genuinely 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:49.760 in the balance. 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:53.880 Can go with the way Yeah yeah, yeah, we just 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.040 just ran out of steam. But like I said, they 0:14:56.680 --> 0:15:02.240 played well throughout that year as well, and that I 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:04.560 think the twelve one hurt me more than the fourteen 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:07.800 because I walked off the field in twelve things and 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:09.920 that I couldn't have played any better than what I 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:12.840 did and we lost. A better team beat us. But 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:15.840 in fourteen I didn't have that good a game and 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:17.520 just left a bit hollow. 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:18.960 Under that one, and it was probably more of an 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:22.000 underdog mentality because you finished seventh whereas that twelve, like 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:24.320 you guys are the standard all year, finished in first 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.600 as my premiers. So there's a little bit of almost 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:28.720 like an expectation like this is our competition? 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:29.600 Have you? 0:15:30.720 --> 0:15:33.280 I was just gonna ask because in fourteen, you know 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:37.960 the Greg Engliss Goanna is in that. But I love 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.200 the battle that you and Greg English probably had not 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:42.760 only in state of origin, but throughout your whole career. 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:45.120 What was that like being one of like because you 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:47.520 talk about you talk about Latroll Mitchell now is a 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.640 dominant one on one center, but the original like one 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:52.240 on one give. 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:55.840 The ball earlier in my generation that was Gi Mat 0:15:55.920 --> 0:16:00.840 Before that, Wait, it was tough. I'm looking to lie 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.760 like I had a job to do, but I took 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.680 that responsibility with great pride as well. And I've said it. 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.200 I said it to Joey actually, like I remember going 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:13.480 on a kangaroo tour and just warming up with him 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.240 and doing the pummeling and he was strolling me around 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:19.280 like a rag doll. I'm like, all right, I need 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:21.760 to get in the gym. I need to get so 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.360 much stronger to take this beast on and like I 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:27.240 would do some weird stuff in the gym, like we'd 0:16:27.320 --> 0:16:30.040 be throwing weights around and like, well what are you 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:31.800 lifting that? He before I said, well this is what 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.760 he weighs this. If I can throw this around, it 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:38.800 gives me confidence and throw him around as well. And 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:41.960 but like I knew that I had to shut his 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:45.320 time down wherever I could say. It wasn't about kind 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:48.120 of watching him. It was about watching you know, Billy 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:52.040 and and JT and and Cam and them trying to 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:54.400 tip him up to get him the ball and on 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:56.440 that pass just getting as close as I could to 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:59.000 him to try and get that find before it got 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:00.960 to me. Chest out got me with it a fair 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:03.160 few times. But if I could do a job on 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:06.240 him and try and eliminate the damage on him, it 0:17:06.280 --> 0:17:08.280 would go a long way to us winning as well. 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:12.920 So that was a contest I really enjoyed. And yeah, 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:15.920 like he he'll go down, he'll probably be in a 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:20.159 mortal one day some things. Origin, Yeah, I don't know. 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:22.160 He was a new south Wachman too, so that made it. 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:25.560 I mean, the battle to knew him and Origin was 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:27.919 always good. I felt like it was always quite like 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:30.040 you were one of the centers that could sort of 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:32.400 get him off his game a little bit. But I'm 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:35.119 trying to remember the center, Paul. It might have been 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:37.159 one of the g I's first He's playing on the 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:39.400 left side of his first origins and they give him 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:41.280 early ball. It might have been Kingy Matt King and. 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:44.520 Up over. 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.800 Fender Turner, went back fender gazz Fender Turner again and 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:53.840 then hurdled him. Yeah, it was. 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:58.639 Across his body too. Yeah. The first time I played 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:01.960 him was in New South wal I was nineties. We 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:04.160 played him in the nineties. He was fullback that day 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.040 and I think he just played. It was two thousand 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:09.200 and five, so he just debuted maybe the week or 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:11.679 two before, and we were like, oh, let's smash him. 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:14.400 Let's give it to him, mate. No one got there. 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:17.000 He scored a double beat it's bite about fifty and 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:19.160 he was like, mate, this floke is a talent. 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:22.040 Who's who's the best you've played with? Who's the best 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:23.000 played against that? 0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:25.879 Well, probably the best I've played against would probably be 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:30.040 g in terms of centners, but played with I mean, 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.159 I was lucky to play, as I said, went on 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:35.320 three kangaroo tours, so got to play with a lot 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:39.960 of those Queensland's Lucky Thurston cam Smith, you know, those 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:43.119